Mark Lawson's Theatre studies + Comedy | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/stage/series/mark-lawson-s-theatre-studies+comedy
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What's the secret to Morecambe &amp; Wise's staying power?http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/nov/26/secret-to-persistent-afterlife-of-morecambe-and-wise
With a new tribute on the West End and a BBC1 documentary, Eric and Ernie rival comedy duos Laurel and Hardy or the Marx Brothers for their afterlife. Why do they continue to inspire?<p>Morecambe &amp; Wise came out of live theatre; the comedians learned their craft on the variety and music-hall circuit in the 1940s and 50s. And though both men died long ago, they seem to have a hard time staying away from it. <a href="http://www.vaudeville-theatre.co.uk/Eric-and-Little-Ern.html" title="">Eric and Little Ern</a>, which opened in the West End last week, is the third hit drama in little more than a decade to recreate and annotate some of the duo's best-known sketches.</p><p>This theatrical afterlife began in 2001 with <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2001/nov/06/theatre.artsfeatures" title="">The Play What I Wrote</a> – devised by Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/may/21/eddie-braben" title="">Eddie Braben</a> – which was such a success in London that it transferred to Broadway. (Perhaps over optimistically, as Eric and Ernie, to their regret, never cracked the US). Before its West End run, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2009/aug/15/morecambe-ediburgh-festival-review" title="">Bob Golding's Morecambe</a> was a hit at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival and also the source for Eric and Little Ern. Indeed, for visitors to the festival, Morecambe &amp; Wise tribute shows have become almost as expected as experimental student productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/nov/26/secret-to-persistent-afterlife-of-morecambe-and-wise">Continue reading...</a>ComedyCultureComedyTelevisionComedyStageWest EndTheatreVictoria WoodChristmasKenneth BranaghMorecambe and WiseTue, 26 Nov 2013 16:35:55 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/nov/26/secret-to-persistent-afterlife-of-morecambe-and-wiseTristram Kenton/GuardianLatest incarnation: Jonty Stephens (Eric Morecambe) and Ian Ashpitel (Ernie Wise) in Eric and Little Ern. Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the GuardianTristram Kenton/GuardianLatest incarnation: Jonty Stephens (Eric Morecambe) and Ian Ashpitel (Ernie Wise) in Eric and Little Ern. Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the GuardianMark Lawson2013-11-26T16:35:55ZSolo Suggs, soliloquising soldiers: the performers who go it alonehttp://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/aug/30/singly-does-it-suggs-new-soliloquists
From Madness frontman Graham McPherson to Falklands veteran Ken Lukowiak, solo shows are all the rage right now. But what makes this the moment of the monologue?<p>It's often been said that everyone has a book inside them – a contention numerous publications have horribly disproved. But I came away from this year's Edinburgh festival thinking that what a surprising variety of people do seem to have inside them is a compelling autobiographical solo show.</p><p>My single most enjoyable and memorable experience at Edinburgh 2012 was <a href="http://www.bigissue.com/reviews/edinburgh-festival/1350/suggs-my-life-story-words-and-music-queens-hall-edinburgh-festival" title="">Suggs: My Life Story in Words and Music</a>, in which the artist otherwise known as Graham McPherson, frontman of Madness, alternated wildly funny anecdotes, an account of his search for the father he never met, and renditions of his hits. McPherson is an experienced musical performer, but the theatrical monologue is a new form to him&nbsp;– and a startlingly contrast to his performance in the Olympics closing ceremony. Nonetheless, he took to it with the charisma of an accomplished actor, and the timing and facial double-takes of a veteran standup. The result was one of the most original and engaging shows I've seen for a long time.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/aug/30/singly-does-it-suggs-new-soliloquists">Continue reading...</a>ComedyStageTheatreCultureEdinburgh festival 2012Edinburgh festivalFestivalsComedyMadnessThu, 30 Aug 2012 09:25:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/aug/30/singly-does-it-suggs-new-soliloquistsHannibal/EPAFresh from singing at the closing ceremony of the Olympics, Madness frontman Graham McPherson put on an engaging one-man show in Edinburgh. Photograph: Hannibal/EPAHannibal/EPAFresh from singing at the closing ceremony of the Olympics, Madness frontman Graham McPherson put on an engaging one-man show in Edinburgh. Photograph: Hannibal/EPAMark Lawson2012-08-30T09:25:00Z